I agreed.

I also agree.

Well, since auditory experiences and hallucinations are common among the extremely religious people, I would say that in some cases religion and schizophrenia are closely related

@DUCHESSA I’ve met people who told me that they actually hear the voice of God in their heads. If that isn’t disturbing, I don’t know what is.

A well organized mental illness where people make money.

@EmeraldJewel - My neighbour hears god - OUTLOUD. Reminds me of Son of Sam. Scary and disturbing.

@Teresa disturbing.

I don't know if you jest or if you are serious. It by definition is a delusion. In psychology it fits the definition of delusion but gets a nice exemption from diagnosis. Group think is the major cause of religious thinking. When many people share the same delusion then perfectly sane people can buy into it. A good example is Orson Wellls Radio program of War of the Worlds.

We should just start referring to churches as insane asylums.

@DavidLaDeau - I believe honestly that it is a mental illness, I can understand being deluded before you have someone point out fact and non- fact, proof and absence of proof. When they radio announce it was a spoof everyone stopped - with religion when someone proves something else they deny it. I mean my neighbour thinks one of every sex of every dinosaur was on the arc and they starved to death because then they were all vegetarian dinosaurs.

@Teresa That's funny actually...Evidently your neighbor has not considered that his God did not know or plan for that....

@DavidLaDeau The saddest part is she believes EVERYTHING is per-determined so when he daughter passed away in a car accident she has been praying to god for an answer to why for the last six years and posted on FB last week. " The only joy I know is knowing I am one day closer to seeing you again" Since she has a husband, and 2 other kids and 4 or 5 grandchildrne, how can a post liek that make them feel.. Soooo sad.

LOL

I wonder if SANTA and SATAN are the same bloke with the N moved over ??

What reason do you have to believe any God exists?

LOL . . . here in the Phileippines, and maybe elsewhere, medical schools run by religious institutions are looking deep into the phenomena of psychic healing because there are so many so-called "faith healers" here in my country. And just like the thousands of religious groups registered in our Securities and Exchange Commission, these faith healers have long been doing good business. I tend to envy these guys whenever I have to scrape the bottom of my rice pot. to feed my family

SonnyMIAPH You said you envied those people who scammed money when you're scraping the bottom of your rice pot to feed your family. I just want to say that I respect you more for scrapping the bottom of your rice pot and I know respect doesn't feed your family, but it's not nothing either. You're a leader to our future, every parent is and the shitty part here is I can't offer you a glorious reward in an afterlife for your efforts I can just say thanks.

oh, thank you so much Paul1967 for those very kind and generous remarks . . . I just hope the others won't accuse us of "scratch my back I'll scratch yours, too!" ha-ha-ha!

A long time ago an old friend of mine who happen to be a priest saw me profusely smoking a cigarette on the far side of chapel's yard, approched me and asked, "hey kid, what seem to be problem?"
I replied, "so many bills to pay, been struggling "under" for several months now."
Priest, "a gov't rank-and-file employee like would really find it hard to make ends meet. Why not make a "born again christian ministry" of your own, you know it's the best business in the world and very popular here (Philippines). I'll lend you my other sound system and you can take the second corner from here that has a better pedestrian traffic. I'll have two of my guys and their young sisters assist you with donations one for each corner of that intersection. Hand your calling cards/flyers to all passersby. When you've enough following you can rent a cheap apartment unit as your group's chapel and that's it, it will snowball"

Loved your post. The only thing is I'm pretty sure 'blind faith' is redundant.

Great post...very succinct and absolutely true.

I think religion is progressive. All of the major revealed religions follow each other in a chronological order, the pattern is not difficult to discern. They are links in one unbroken chain.

The reasons why some people do not advance and instead remain attached to the dispensation of their choosing, are many and varied, but it is they that are refusing to evolve, not religion itself.

Excellent post.

I have always questioned religion (my parents were fairly progressive people). But when I came to the conclusion that there was no God as an adult, I found myself feeling a bit of a loss. But I got over it , it wasn't the worst time in my life fortunately.

You nailed it, Veronica. I too grew up a roman catholic, with strict adherence to all the dogma. And in my late teens, early twenties I took religious studies and retreats alongside religious novitiates to strngthen my faith. It ended up cracking it wide open.
I felt as though I had fallen off a cliff, it was a very scary few months. Until I realised that the world worked quite well without a deity, in fact, it worked better.
Devout atheist ever since.

How long did it take you to get to the point where you no longer think about it? Also, I would ask, why join a community such as this, if that were true? (I realize that may sound rude, but I assure you, I mean no Ill will, just curious.)

@jayknostic I don't think about it much. I was wrong but I assumed when I joined most people would be talking about stuff other than religion.I wasnt thinking about all the recovery issues related to religion

Must be hard when you have a family of believers.

Most, if not all of the songs, music, poetry and the arts are inspired by man's religious beliefs. There's also the wisdom behind the laws of every land based on their nation's religious beliefs, ecumenical or something like that.

If religion doesn't make any sense, you have to, and it's a must, that you take a real hard look deep into yourself. If you don't want to call it spiritual then call it self-development.

Nothing religious about that, don't you think?

@SonnyMlaPH must? Sorry, I don't do must. It might be a different story if it was offered as advice.

how true, oh, so true . . . and you may also call that "respect"

that's true, so true. As my dad used to say, "I won't bet my life on The Bible (or religion)"

they prefer stupidity, better profits that way.

They kill in the name of their god. Some religious groups, believing that they'r only passing through in this lifetime just seem to be waiting peacefully to get slaughtered

may i add that most if not all of the constitutions and laws of the nations of the world are based on their religious baliefs. . . if only those religious elders would practice what they preach

no pros just cons. I can not find very much logic in your way of thinking. Charitable altruistic traditions blah blah blah be serious. your mind goes all over.

religion rules by fear of a jealous and selfish god

yes it is

My husband and I have been fortunate to be able to travel quite extensively. When I saw the poverty in many places we travelled, I realized there was not much I could do, I am not a millionaire ( a thousandaire ) then I found out about KIVA and have made small business loans to people in over a dozen countries, some as small as $75.00 but it made all the difference in their lives ( and mine, against all biblical stands I do take pride in helping others ) and so far no one has defaulted on a loan.

@Teresa. That sounds great.... your very kind hearted.

I agree with you bro, manipulative, as my dad say, "they don't practice what they preach"

yes, even the dice experiments of Dr.J.B.Rhine are now in question

Snakes do not talk, a flower can not make a woman pregnant.
After a person is dead, it is dead.

I will also add, here, that in my opinion every person who has left religion will find at least some of the answers they are seeking in the William Buhlman book. (If you need any further motivation... Chapter 15 of one of the Robert Monroe books is titled, "Astral Sex".

I was lucky. I was born into an atheist family. Public school for me.

Yes, religion if we must have it should certainly be taken as metaphorical. I also think that there would be so many great brains in heaven at least one of them would have been able to communicate with us by now in some way.

I remember rejecting religion somewhere between ages 7 and 10. I was interested in astronomy and I knew there was no room for "Heaven" up there.